540 
WALES. 
several places along the line of the canal in Montgomery¬ 
shire, and Maltraeth, Anglesea. So plentiful are coals in the 
four southernmost counties of the principality, that it is only 
to sink in certain directions, to be assured of ultimate success. 
The coal sometimes underlays the calcareous strata, or in the 
miners’ phrase, has a limestone roof; but more frequently it 
is found on the northern or southern side of a limestone 
ridge; and when a track of low land is included between 
two such ridges, it may be inferred that coal lies beneath. 
Two parallel lines of calcareous strata extend through South 
Wales in an easterly direction, from St. George’s channel 
across the whole country. These are accompanied by two 
lines of coal. Both are not uniformly visible together, but 
often where the coal appears near the surface, the limestone 
dips or inclines towards the centre of the earth, and vice 
versa. Upon the first or upper line coals have been found 
in different points, viz., at Johnston, Picton, Jeffreston, and 
Begeley, Pembrokeshire. Thence keeping on the southern 
side of the limestone ridge, it crosses the Towy, forming the 
bar at the mouth of that river; and passing through the 
upper part of Caermarthenshire, Brecknockshire, and Mon¬ 
mouthshire, crosses the Severn to the collieries of Kings- 
wood, near Bristol. The second or lower line commences 
near Williamston in Pembrokeshire, and parallel with the 
limestone, takes the water beyond the coal works at San- 
dersfoot in the bay of Tenby; then crossing the peninsula of 
Gower, it again dips, Swansea bay re-appears near Kenfig 
in Glamorganshire, passes Caerphilly castle, visits Newport, 
Monmouthshire, where numerous collieries are worked, and, 
crossing the Severn sea, is again discoverable in the same 
direction at the coal works of Paulton and Radstock, in the 
county of Somerset. On the same bearing these lines might 
be further traced, both in an easterly and westerly direction, 
and would serve as a clue to other lines of coal ground in 
the stratified tracks throughout the kingdom. Almost all 
the varieties of coal are produced in Wales. There is little 
doubt but the mines in Wales were known to the Romans, 
by whom they were worked. They were afterwards worked 
by the ancient Britons; but little progress was made by them 
in the art of mining. The restrictions imposed on the trade 
for the benefit of the king also, in later tunes, obstructed the 
progress of mining, as no person could search for ore unless 
he was empowered by a royal grant. Considerable progress 
was made during the reign of queen Elizabeth in mining ; 
but it was not till the reign of king William, when all the 
restrictive statutes on this branch of industry were repealed, 
that the hidden treasures of the earth were laid completely 
open to the industry of individuals. Ever since this period 
the mining trade has continued to flourish. 
The agriculture of Wales may be considered as very far 
behind that of England. The implements employed are 
rude and ill constructed ; and the Welsh farmer has no skil¬ 
ful mode of managing his land, which he exhausts by a suc¬ 
cession of crops There are, however, many exceptions 
among individuals ; and better notions of farming are ge¬ 
nerally spreading through the principality. Almost in 
every county there has been found an association of intelli¬ 
gent agriculturists, for the purpose of improving the country 
by the introduction and encouragement of a better system of 
husbandry. Until of late years the roads throughout Wales 
were indifferent in the extreme. Except the two great mail 
roads, forming the communication with the north and south 
of Ireland, by way of Milford and Holyhead, whence the 
packets sail to that country, scarcely a road could be found 
calculated for the passing of carriages. To this essential 
point for profit, convenience, and comfort, the great proprie¬ 
tors have of late years laudably directed their attention, and 
with the most beneficial effect. The country may now be 
traversed in almost every direction; and few towns are de¬ 
void of the accommodating vehicle, a post chaise. Many 
of the roads of the interior are narrow, and from the nature 
of the country, abound with frequent and long ascents and 
descents; but they are no longer what formerly they were, 
merely land-flood gullies, or narrow hollows, down the centre 
of which the waters flowed, to the great annoyance and fre¬ 
quent peril of the traveller. Under the auspices of the pub 
lie spirited nobleman, the late lord Penrhyn, a grand road 
has been cut through the immense range of lofty mountains 
denominated Snowdonia, by which a fine extensive commu¬ 
nication has been opened between the internal parts of North 
Wales and the coast; and the great thoroughfare from Lon¬ 
don to Dublin by way of Holyhead, diminished in length, 
compared with the former one by way of Shrewsbury and 
Conway, 25 miles. Numerous roads have been widened, 
shortened, and otherwise ameliorated by the addition of 
drains, arches, bridges, &c., to the great accommodation of 
travellers, and general benefit of the inhabitants. The great 
improvement of internal navigation had long been neglected 
in this country, though it was equally capable with England 
of such advantages. The first project of this nature which 
was attempted was the junction of the navigation on the 
rivers Severn and Dee, by opening an aquatic communica¬ 
tion through the counties of Denbigh and Flint, with va¬ 
rious ramifications into the mining and manufacturing dis¬ 
tricts in the adjacent counties. This plan was carried into 
effect by cutting a canal from the Severn near Shrewsbury, 
to the Dee in the vicinity of Chester. The act for this canal 
was obtained in 1794. It is 57 miles long, with 537 feet lock¬ 
age, connecting the Severn with the Mersey, and sending out 
various lateral branches at convenient points. This is called 
the Ellesmere canal. The Montgomery canal, which was 
begun in 1794, unites with a branch of the Ellesmere canal, 
very near Llanymnech, and there crosses the river Verrrwy, 
where it joins another branch of the Ellesmere canal; and 
then goes by Gwern-felu, where a cut branches off to Guils- 
field and Welshpool; and from thence proceeds nearly pa¬ 
rallel with the Severn, by Berhiew, to Newtown, in Montgo¬ 
meryshire. This canal is 27 miles long, besides the cuts, 
and the lockage is 225 feet. The Glamorgan canal, which 
connects Merthyr Tydvil with the port of Bardiff, was begun 
in 1791, and completed in 1798. It is 26 miles long, lias 
40 locks, and an elevation of 570 feet. The Aberdare canal 
was begun about the year 1794. It joins the Glamorgan 
canal at the fork made by the junction of the little river Cy- 
non with the river Taffe. It is miles long. The Neath 
canal is about 12 miles long. It extends from Neath in 
Glamorganshire, to Pont Neath Vaughan in the same county; 
the mountains abounding in coals, limestone, iron, ore, cop¬ 
per, and lead. It joins the river Neath, about a mile below 
the town of Neath. The Brecknock canal unites with the 
Monmouth canal, 8| miles from Newport, and one mile from 
Pontypool. It crosses the river Avon, where, by a tunnel, 
it goes through the highlands there, about 220 yards in 
length, and passes the town of Abergavenny, towards the 
Usk, proceeding parallel with that river to Brecknock. The 
Swansea canal goes from the town of Swansea in Glamor¬ 
ganshire, by the Morristown copper-works, and thence runs 
parallel with the river Tawy, crosses the little river Twrch, 
and ends at Hen-noyadd. It is 17 miles long, and has 373 
feet rise. 
Manufactures, till within a few years, were not very ex¬ 
tensively diffused, nor could they be considered of much ac¬ 
count in the general scale of productive industry. Wales, 
however, for centuries, was celebrated for its flannels; and 
though competitors are found in Yorkshire, and other parts 
of the north of England, yet the country may be still con¬ 
sidered as standing unrivalled in the manfacture of this use¬ 
ful article. The trade is principally confined to North 
Wales. The different articles of manufacture are webs, 
flannels, stockings, wigs, gloves, and socks. Webs are dis¬ 
tinguished by the trade into two sorts; first, strong, or high 
country cloth ; second, small, or low country cloth. Strong 
cloth is made in Merionetshire, and principally in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of Dolgelli and Machynlleth. Almost every little 
farmer makes webs, and few cottages in these parts are with¬ 
out a loom: all kinds of wool are used indiscriminately ; and 
a considerable quantity of refuse from the wool-staplers and 
skinners, is collected from all quarters for this purpose. 
Much 
